The Good Idiotic Girl & The Mastermind Criminal
by Flame Holt
Summary: From a nice trip to Japan to a hellish adventure in Middle Earth with an explosive device on the wrist. Marie Timothée will cry from the beginning to the end until she finally goes back home. But then, there is this nagging mystery about that savior of hers...just who could be this frightening Daichi Matsumoto ?
1. Chapter 1

**/!\Author's note/!\ :** This story, **« The Good Idiotic Girl & The Mastermind Criminal »**, will not be as amusing as it would sometimes seem. On the contrary, it would be **mysterious** and sometimes a little **dark**. Although it is a story based on **« The Lord of the Rings »**, it will take time until my two OC's get dropped into Middle Earth ; unlike a great number of fan-fictions of a girl falling into Middle Earth and becoming the Tenth walker of the Fellowship, my story will talk about a young French student, **Marie Timothée**, going on a trip in Japan. Things will go downhill when she realizes that she is the target of yakuzas who have business with her – what business, I won't tell you in my note, that would be cheating. The second woman is **Daichi Matsumoto**, someone just as deadly than she is mysterious...

_Reviews are accepted and asked, because I love reading your critics_.

**/!\ Warning /!\ :**This fan-fiction is **rated M**. Lemons & scenes of violence will be described.

**Disclaimer :** I'll do the disclaimer for the whole fiction – I don't own **« ****Lord of the Rings »** and its characters, everything belongs to the legend who created this : Professor Tolkien. Only **Marie Timothée, Daichi Matsumoto & a couple of other characters** that will come in further chapters are a product of my imagination.

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**The Good Idiotic Girl & The Mastermind Criminal**

**I – Chased**

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It was a good day to visit Shinjuku ; the sun was bright and the Japanese capital was humming with so much strenght that Marie Timothée was constantly smiling like a goof and pratically jumping up and down. She had made it, she was finally in Japan ! Grabbing her smartphone, the young woman texted two of her best friends and even took a picture of a store which sold many stuffed animals – of course, the panda was her favourite. After this, she started walking through the crowd.

Marie felt quite at ease for someone who wouldn't stand a chance through the maze of Tokyo : she didn't move like some foreigner coming from a faraway country like France, but rather like someone who had previously read a map of the city and must have recorded somewhere the ways to get to any site without getting lost. Quite clever for a nineteen-years-old girl who had managed to lose herself inside the airport while looking for the restrooms. She wasn't really fluent in Japanese but still got her way through the words and had proved to be efficient enough to travel with some of her schoolmates ; their Japanese teacher had the brilliant idea to offer a trip to Japan to those who will manage to get a good mark at his last exam and Marie had been fortunate (or maybe hard-working) enough to obtain one of the best marks of the class, granting her place to this trip.

The sight of a good-looking restaurant caught her attention and she stopped. Only now she noticed that she was hungry.

''Les seuls sushis que j'ai pu manger en France ne doivent certainement pas avoir le même goût que ceux qui sont faits dans le pays même,'' Marie smiled as she approached the restaurant. ''J'espère que les nouilles seront bonnes aussi.''

She ignored the people who cast her curious glances and entered. The Japanese style had always been something she admired ; it held this relaxing sensation that could sedate an enraged tiger and Marie just couldn't help but feel really peaceful while observing her surroundings. The restaurant was merely decorated with dragon figurines scattered on the shelves, the walls were painted with fiery colours as red and orange – the colours of the sun – and gave this restaurant an impression of warmth. It was rather full with clients at this time of the day and the cheerfulness Marie could hear and sense was enough to send her in high spirits.

A pretty woman dressed in a traditional kimono came towards her, smiling warmly.

''_Kon'nichiwa _!'' she said with a pleasant voice. ''_Anata __wa nani o__ shitaidesu ka _?''

Marie took a moment to collect the words in her head, then responded several seconds later. ''_Watashi wa koko de tabetai, onegaishimasu._'' Her accent wasn't perfect but still, it was understandable.

The older woman nodded with a smile. ''_Kokode wa, __misu_.'' She led her through the tables, moving swiftly and Marie wondered if all Japanese could move like that or if it was because of some martial art training. The French girl sat at an empty table, thanked her guide and surveyed the rest of the people around her. There were children chomping on their food and talking at the same time, sometimes spitting morsels and having their parents scolding them, old couples enjoying their meals and certainly speaking of the last visit of their son with his girlfriend. There were also Japanese schoolgirls in their uniforms, talking excitedly over something Marie couldn't catch, for they were so quick in their native language and she still wasn't very used to this.

For everyone that knew her, Marie Timothée was a girl full of flaws and though she tried to work on it, it sometimes ended bad. She was a bubbly girl who couldn't and won't ever learn how to shut up, it was a pointless thing she failed to grasp. She was a curious girl who liked to ask every kind of question to everyone she deemed interesting to catch her attention long enough to make her forget something quite important – like forgetting to put panties before putting clothes on, her mother had teased about this for more than a month. There were other flaws she refused to admit, and maybe even more.

''Have you made your choice ?''

''_Hein _?'' Marie startled and looked up from the menu to find herself staring at two bright brown eyes. There before her sat a very beautiful Japanese woman. She was wearing a black Fedora hat on her mid-long raven hair, a navy blue blouse with braces holding her generous chest firmly in place. This style reminded Marie of the criminals from the 1930's but surprisingly, it looked really good on this woman.

It took Marie some time to remember that the older woman has just asked her a question – in English, though her Japanese accent made her question thick. She blushed furiously at her stupidity.

''Um...who are you ?'' the French student questioned in the same language with furrowed brows. ''And...why are you sitting at my table ?''

''The other tables are occupied, if you hadn't noticed,'' she answered smoothly.

She was right : all the tables around her were occupied with other clients as well, leaving Marie and her interlocutor together. She turned back and focused her gaze on her hands, still blushing. She could feel the other woman staring at her with such intensity and that was disturbing her. Madly. She wasn't used to be stared at like this, not even by many boys, and what was the most unsettling was the fact the Japanese in her criminal style didn't appear very embarrassed : looking up shyly, Marie slightly jumped upon seeing those two brown orbs observing her.

''So ? Your choice ?''

The younger woman sighed. ''I-I'll take some sushis, noodles and rice balls. And some tea,'' she added before forgetting.

_Why am I so embarrassed ?_

''_Kanpeki_,'' the Japanese replied. She beckoned a waiter and ordered Marie's meal with a disarming smile that would sway every buffoon in her college. The waiter nodded and departed, leaving the two women alone. _Again_.

Again, there was that silence that hung between them. Not that Marie wanted to break it and ask new questions, but it was becoming really irritating to be stared at without talking. She liked to talk freely without having someone to confuse and intimidate her, that was seriously unnerving. To her utter astonishment, Marie found herself wanting to stay quiet. '_Why_' was a very good question she was still wondering herself, also wondering why this woman wasn't leaving ; there must be a good reason to explain her presence at her table, a reason that would make Marie believe that curiosity over a French girl alone in a restaurant wasn't the answer she was expecting.

As a _Gaikoku no_, Marie didn't know what to expect. Japanese and French were two different kinds of people both in mind and in moral, if only those were the only differences she could come up with. Having spent this entire year studying their political system and traditions, Marie had thought that talking and getting to know some people around her age would help her understand their way of thinking. Schoolgirls were her first choice of people, but she suspected that their only subject would be their favorite J-Pop singers (and this wasn't a smart idea, to be honest.).

''Who are you ?'' Marie felt herself asking before she could hold her tongue and she cursed herself in French.

''I was wondering when you would finally open your mouth or if I had to kick you in the shins to make you speak,'' her interlocutor said and Marie could feel the smile in her voice, though she couldn't meet her eyes. ''My name is Daichi Matsumoto. Why I am here in front of you is, I think, going to be difficult for you to believe.''

This time, Marie raised her head to look at Daichi. ''Really ?'' She didn't know where this confidence come from but the surprise she felt was too great to let it pass. ''What makes you think that ?''

Daichi crossed her long legs and pulled out something from her pocket. ''Tokyo is a beautiful city, but danger remains well hidden in the shadows and strikes when we aren't watchful,'' she said. ''Everybody knows for a fact that lingering in a place for too long is asking for kidnapping or, in worst cases depending on which gang we face, death.'' By the time she was talking, Marie's meal had arrived, but she seemed not to have noticed or she simply didn't care.

She frowned and took her chopsticks after some minutes of confused silence. ''What are you talking about ? I can't understand anything you're saying.'' _Am I having a conversation with a freak ?_

''While you're gulping down your noodles like some hungry ox, _orokana furansugo_, look around you and tell me what you can see,'' Daichi was still as calm and serene as from the beginning, still observing Marie eat her meal. The Japanese woman smiled when her French interlocutor scowled at her and tilted her head. ''Don't give me that look and do what I told you.''

Marie stared, unsure and distrustful. What was up with that Daichi Matsumoto ? Why was she telling her to look around ? The student swallowed her noodles and opened her mouth to protest when Daichi raised a long elegant eyebrow, her eyes blazing and suddenly hard to look at. It took Marie a great inner strenght not to shiver. There was something weird with that woman.

Nonetheless, she decided to look around her while eating her noodles. What was she supposed to see ? There were new clients in the restaurant, chatting and laughing. Merriment could be heard everywhere ; the few women present here were sitting on their men, forgetting any sense of self-respect when greedy hands began to stroke certain parts of their bodies – Marie had to blush at that – without caring if someone was staring or not. What she found strange and uneasy was their clothing ; where it seemed sometimes too formal or too street on the men, it looked outrageously provocative on the women. But at least it was just on her right. Or that was she thought at first before she turned to the left. _Where had the parents and their children, the schoolgirls and the old couples gone to_ _? _

_Non mais, qu'est-ce que ça veut dire ?_ Marie rather screamed in her head, switching back into her native language. _Il n'y a même pas dix minutes, c'était plein de couples de vieux, de lycéennes...où sont-ils tous passés ? Qui sont ces gens étranges ?_

All of sudden she found herself frozen on her seat, unable to move and eat. What was that uneasy feeling creeping its way inside her body ? A while ago, she felt fine because the restaurant held a warm atmosphere and she was surrounded by families who laughed merrily and schoolgirls chatting excitedly. Now she was feeling rather...

Anxious.

_Non_, Marie scolded herself, frowning. _Non, cette femme joue avec mon esprit et mes nerfs. Je dois l'ignorer. _Putting on her best indifferent look, she resumed eating and bit on a rice ball. She pretended to ignore the pointed look of Daichi upon her but couldn't force her heart to stop beating rapidly. At least, her hands weren't shaking. _Not yet_.

_Tap_. _Cling _! The Japanese woman has tapped the wooden table with her finger and something metallic. ''Listen well, _orokana tane_,'' Daichi's voice was lower than normal. ''If you're not this idiotic, you wouldn't keep eating and would have rather asked the bill by now. Can't you feel it ?''

''Feel what ?'' Marie defied deliberately, taking her cup of tea. Her voice sounded indifferent but her eyes told otherwise.

Daichi's eyes blinked. Playing dumb now ?

_Tap. Cling _!''I see. You want to play the idiotic girl ? So be it.''

''What are talking about, for Christ's sake ? I'm trying to enjoy my meal here !'' Marie couldn't take it anymore and had jumped on her feet, staring down at the woman who had insulted her three times with blazing eyes.

She was so engulfed in her rage that Marie hadn't noticed several pairs of eyes watching every movement, from the time Daichi Matsumoto had been talking to her to her little outburst. The French student was red from rage, looking ready to explode like a volcano while Daichi remained perfectly calm. All the conversations had ended when Marie's chair had clicked on the floor and all eyes were observing the young student.

But when the Japanese woman's eyes caught a swift movement to her left, she didn't hesitate and expertly threw her little metallic weapon. There was the sound of the object meeting its target, the sound of flesh being ripped and the sound of blood trickling from the throat. The man made a horrible gurgling noise before slumping on the wall, dirtying it with his blood. The woman who was sitting on him had also been touched by the shuriken and was clutching her throat, where there was a cut dripping with little blood.

The stunned silence that followed was deafening for five seconds. Within the five seconds, Daichi had grabbed an equally stunned Marie – who was doing a perfect imitation of a fish with a bowl of noodles in her hands – and was making her run into the streets with her at full speed. Running while still clutching a bowl of noodles and chopsticks wasn't a very smart idea but _damn_, Marie was eating when Daichi Matsumoto has just killed a man !

Realization suddenly dawned on her. _She has just killed a man and now she...oh, putain de merde !_

''Vous_...vous l'avez tué _!'' Marie screamed in her native language. ''Vous l'avez tué...comme ça ! Avec un shuriken !''

''Scream in _English_, you _orokana tane_!'' Daichi shouted back. ''_English_, not your wretched native language !''

''It's a beautiful language !'' The French student protested.

''Lies !''

Shouting resoned loudly behind them and Marie yelped. Voices were screaming incoherent insults and words that were too difficult for her to understand and she heard running footsteps in their direction. During their race, Marie suddenly understood some things.

**One :** the guys in the restaurant were probably gangsters._ Yakuzas_ who entered the restaurant.

**Two :** the _yakuzas_ certainly didn't want to eat noodles or rice balls.

**Three :** she forgot to pay the bill but in the case where she was running for her life, it didn't sound really important. They will understand.

**Four :** Daichi Matsumoto has just saved her idiotic ass.

All of this, while still trying to eat her noodles. _Putain, je dois raconter ça à mes copines et mes parents ! __Sur Twitter !_

But now, they had to run.

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Daichi and Marie ran through the streets without looking back, the _yakuzas_ still on their heels and shouting insults. Adrenaline rushed through Marie's veins, pulsing in her blood and getting somewhat stronger. People moved aside to avoid getting tackled by the two women, sometimes looking scandalized and sometimes stupefied, and screamed for their lives when a bunch of _yakuzas_ started shooting at the two running figures ahead.

Marie had long dropped her bowl of noodles when she realized that all the soup had spilled from the container and there was nothing left, even the chopsticks had fallen. Disappointed, she had taken responsability and reasoned that her life was one billion times worth a bowl of cold noodles and chopsticks, but she was still hungry and afraid. When she had accepted to go to Japan, she had never signed for getting shot at by _yakuzas_ and running away from them through the streets of Tokyo, it was supposed to be a nice little trip after the exams of May she should enjoy with all her might. She suddenly felt the urge to cry. Right. Now.

''In here,'' Daichi said and swiftly turned off on the right.

Marie followed wordlessly into the alley, her eyes wide and fearful, trying to forget how sore her muscles were getting from minute to minute. She had never been a sportive and knew she would never be the new Christine Arron, but the thought of dying under the hands of some bloodthirsty yakuzas made her blood boil with sheer panic and adrenaline burst through her veins at a torpedoe speed. Daichi led her inside a shop, her high leather boots making little noise as they both surged through and Marie realized that it wasn't a shop, but a casino ; the familiar sounds of games filled her ears, blaring and deafening, the unremitting chatting of Japanese players and the slur of the drunken near a bar pounded.

''This way !''

It was as if Daichi knew where to go : the women ran through the long alleys of the establishment, earning some confused stares or glares and shouts from certain players who heard them running or even jostling their bodies. Their angry exclamations turned to panicked screams when two loud shots thundered into the casino.

''_Gaijin _!'' Marie heard yelling and she shuddered.

_Mais qu'est-ce qu'ils me veulent ? _

A Japanese man suddenly appeared before them, just wearing his trousers and exposing his torso covered in tattoos. He raised a gun towards Daichi, a snarl evident on his face and his eyes flashing.

''_Shinu _!'' he growled.

What Marie's eyes certainly didn't expect was Daichi disarming the yakuza with a blow on his wrist, making him drop his weapon. Then, she hit him on certain places of his body from his left leg to his left arm at a blinding speed. He growled in pain and moved his right arm to knock Daichi down but she evaded the blow by moving aside and, just as rapidly as she did two seconds ago, she hit the same places from the right leg to right arm. The _yakuza_ yelped and dropped flat onto the floor, no longer moving but still breathing. Marie just watched in amazement, her back against the wall. She watched Daichi pulling out another shuriken and throwing it at a yakuza who didn't have the time to duck and received it in his head, falling hard on his stomach.

The ninja turned around. ''Let's move,'' she said firmly, grabbing Marie by her arm and pulling the French girl with her through an exit.

Daichi's long strides were swift and nearly making no noise at all, which was surprising. Was she really a ninja ? Did a ninja _really_ come to her rescue and pull her out of a damn mess with _yakuzas_ ? At this rate, Marie's mind was probably making the most absurd thoughts about Daichi Matsumoto and she wasn't even trying to object.

_Je dois twitter ça...tout à l'heure._ _Elle serait capable d'écraser mon smartphone si je tente d'envoyer un seul message._

''Est-ce qu'il y en a d'autres ?'' Marie asked timidly. ''Vous allez tous les tuer ? Pourquoi m'avoir sauvée ? Qui êtes-vous vraiment ?''

''_Furansuhito wa amarini mo ôku no shitsumon o suru_,'' Daichi muttered under her breath, shaking her head.

Marie frowned, confused. ''Hein ?''

''_Sore wa yakuza ni owa rete iru baai demo, __sore wa seijōdeatta ka no yō ni, kanojo wa taberu koto o tsudzuketa,_'' she continued as if complaining about an irritating child. She turned briefly towards Marie.''Didn't I say to speak in English because your native language is something I can't stand and understand ? Save your breath to run, you'll need it if you want to make it to the train station.''

''B-but...''

''And stop talking !''

So Marie kept her mouth shut and followed Daichi. After having made sure they weren't being followed again, the two women strode towards Shinjuku Station. Sometimes the older one would turn back and throw glances everywhere and press the panicked French student to walk quickier, just to assure she wasn't trying to rest between long strides. They had to make it, because it wasn't like the _yakuzas_ to give up upon a target ; once they had one target, they did anything and everything they can imagine to get to it. So it was more than likely that more yakuzas will come sooner or later, they had to get away from Shinjuku.

There was always many people taking the train but this time, it was rather empty. Marie thought that her savior was going to buy two tickets but was more confused when she pulled her away from the counter.

''But-'' Marie started.

''Strategy,'' Daichi merely said. ''In the restrooms, quick.'' They both rushed into the restrooms, encountering three schoolgirls who were laughing their heads off, and faced someone Marie had never seen. It was a woman, near her height, with European features and gentle blue eyes. Her long blond waved into gracious curls and her pink lips were full. She smiled with relief at Daichi and moved from the wall.

''Good, you're safe,'' she said and her eyes turned towards a rather shy Marie who was glancing at them with confusion in her green eyes. She didn't have an accent, meaning that she must be born in a country where English was her native language. ''And I see you brought the girl unharmed, which is also good. Here,'' she tossed Marie a bag. ''Clothes. You need to change clothes, quick. Same for you, Daichi !''

''The bag is already here,'' Daichi assured and went to lock herself into a cabin. Marie did the same, her mind still clouded and confused.

''We need to get her to safety and quick,'' the strange European lady said lowly. ''We can't take her to the authorities, yakuzas may not be that suicidal in general but for her, they would gladly use a rocket launcher to destroy a police station.''

Marie shivered and swallowed a lump in her throat, eyes wide. _What is going on ?_

* * *

Marie bit her lip as she listened attently to the conversation next to her.

''There were members of the Wani gang, I recognized their tattoo on some of them,'' Daichi whispered to her 'friend', eyes locked on something the student couldn't quite see in her hands. ''This gang is particularly insatiable when it comes to targeting young _gaijin_ from other countries. They fired because they must have thought that I belonged to another gang coming to steal their prey. Protecting Marie Timothée from them will be kind of difficult, Irina.''

The blond woman called Irina groaned and put a hand on her forehead.

''Great, just what we needed : some hungry crocodiles over one little lamb who had the gall to lose herself in the airport. This is _just_ great !''

A mocking smirk appeared on Daichi's beautiful face who replied nothing and just relaxed in her seat, folding her arms over her chest and tilting her head towards Marie who was staring at them with wide eyes. The student was currently making suggestions within her little head of hers, trying to find the most obvious hypothesis about her situation after the pursuit through Tokyo.

_Le gang de Wani ? Jamais entendu parler. Mais si ce qu'elles disent est vrai à ce propos, il est probable que je ne vais pas m'en sortir aussi facilement et ne serai peut-être pas en mesure d'acheter ce superbe gilet que j'ai vu à Shibuya hier._

Thinking of her jacket right now didn't seem appropriate regarding her situation. _Imbécile, _she admonished herself as she shook her head.

_Qu'est-ce qu'Irina et Daichi étaient en train de dire à propos d'un...agneau et de crocodiles ? Si je me souviens bien, 'Wani' signifie 'Crocodile' en français, ce qui nomme tous les yakuzas membres de ce gang. Et l'agneau, ce serait..._

Marie bit her lip and tried to swallow bitter tears. She raised her eyes towards Irina, who was typing something on her smartphone. A preoccupied expression had marred her once peaceful face from the train station to the Shinkansen they were currently seated in and whatever was on her mind, Marie knew she wouldn't like it one bit.

''What's goin on ?'' she asked in a hushed tone. Irina turned towards her, eyesbrows shooting up in surprise, but Daichi didn't even stir. The Japanese ninja seemed to be sleeping but Marie found out she was rather annoyed at her relaxed attitude, almost scandalized. It was just what she needed to nearly 'explode'. ''It had only been a day since I landed on Japan and everything was going so well before you all appeared and wrecked havoc in my little heaven with fucking ninja stars and gangsters dying to have my head ! I think I deserve to know why me, a simple French student who...I-I really want to know what's going on, because I want to cry like a real bitch, _right now _!''

She drew a breath, taking little time to calm her nerves, then went back to staring at Irina with a somewhat challenging gaze that seemed to surprise Irina even more, if that wasn't already done. Daichi remained still, but her brown eyes were now half-open and bore expressionlessly at Marie. She didn't look like she was going to speak at all.

''Are...are they going to kill me ?''

It wasn't the type of conversation to have in a train like this one ; the Shinkansen may be going at blinding speed, but there was a high probability of incidents that might endanger Marie at this moment and make everyone else panic. She may be clever, but there were times when stress and panic blend together and can force someone to do something very stupid – like shouting her thoughts and doubts about this gang out loud in a train and making everyone else go into frantic panic.

Irina looked uncertain, her mouth opening and closing.

''Marie... these informations are-'' she started.

''Please, _don't_.'' Marie interrupted sharply, eyes narrowing. ''Don't say that, I'm as concerned as you both are _parce que j'en suis la cible, bordel de Dieu _! Y-you can't just say this is confidential, it's bullshit and you can't keep those informations from me, you'll have to tell me sooner or later. So you better tell me now, Irina, Daichi, or I'll-''

''You'll do nothing, _orokana tane_.''

If it was possible for Marie to feel very cold right now, she would have asked for three blankets to cover herself ; Daichi's voice was calm but held this tone that made her blood freeze and her body shiver in unwitting shakes and when her brown eyes met the younger woman's, all the French student could see was this harsh coldness she wasn't familiar with and that was enough to stupefy her growing temper and apease the anger rising.

Marie was frozen to the bone. Literally. There was a weird sensation nagging in her mind about Daichi that worried her but not really knowing what it was, she couldn't put a finger on it. Why did that woman make her feel greatly uncomfortable and also very inferior ? What was this disturbing sensation she could feel whenever she was around the Japanese ninja ?

_Sont-elles des flics ? Du FBI ? Non...pas elle, pas Daichi Matsumoto, elle est trop...étrange. Pourquoi suis-je effrayée en sa présence ?_

Daichi shifted slightly to fully face Marie and slowly leaned forward, ignoring Irina's warning glance. The French student did everything not to look away from this stare as freezing as a glaciation and braced herself.

''I won't lie to you, they probably want to kill you and would have first kidnapped you if I hadn't interfered,'' she snapped lowly. ''But if you want answers, be the good idiotic girl you've always been and cooperate with us. If you can do that, you'll stay alive and you'll have your answers. If you don't, I still have papers here to make origamis and kill you in your sleep with them, you won't even notice.''

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**Author's translations :**

To all those who read the first chapter and actually liked it, you certainly had noticed those French lines and Japanese words. Well, it will be like this in every chapter of **« The Good Idiotic Girl & The Mastermind Criminal »** and each time at the end, I will put the translations so you can understand their meaning.

**- ****Les seuls sushis que j'ai pu manger en France ne doivent certainement pas avoir le même goût que ceux qui sont faits dans le pays même** : The only sushis I've eaten in France should certainly not have the same taste as those made in the country itself.

- **J'espère que les nouilles ****seront bonnes aussi** : I hope that the noodles are good too.

_- **Kon'nichiwa ! Anata ****wa nani o**** shitaidesu ka** _? : Hi ! What do you want ?

- _**Watashi wa koko de tabetai, onegaishimasu** : _I want to eat here, please.

- _**Kokode wa, ****misu** _: This way, young lady.

- **Hein** ? : Huh ?

- _**Kanpeki** : _Perfect !

- _**Gaikoku no** : _Foreigner.

- _**Orokana furansugo** : _Silly Frenchie !

- _**Non mais, qu'est-ce que ça veut dire** ? : _Hey, what the heck ?

- _**Il n'y a même pas dix minutes, c'était plein de couples de vieux, de lycéennes...****où sont-ils tous passés ? Qui sont ces gens étranges **? : _Just ten minutes ago it was full of old couples, schoolgirls... where have they all gone to ? Who are these strange people ?

- _**Non, cette femme joue avec mon esprit et mes nerfs. ****Je dois l'ignorer**. : _No, that woman is playing with my mind and my nerves. I have to ignore her.

- _**Orokana tane**_ : You idiot !

- _**oh, putain de merde **! _: Oh holy shit !

- **Vous...vous l'avez tué ! Vous l'avez tué... comme ça ! Avec un shuriken !** : You...you killed him ! You killed him...just like this ! With a shuriken !

- _**Putain, je dois raconter ça à mes copines et mes parents ! ****Sur Twitter !** _: Fuck, I have to tell this to my friends and my parents ! On Twitter !

- _**Gaijin !** : _It would be the same as 'Gaikoku no'.

- _**Shinu**_! : Die !

- _**Furansuhito wa amarini mo ôku no shitsumon o suru.** _: The French ask too many questions.

- _**Sore wa yakuza ni owa rete iru baai demo, sore wa seijōdeatta ka no yō ni, kanojo wa taberu koto o tsudzuketa **__ : _And even if she is being pursued by yakuzas, she keeps eating as if it was normal.

- **Wani **: 'Crocodile' in English.

- _**Le gang de Wani ? Jamais entendu parler**__**. **__**Mais si ce qu'elles disent est vrai à ce propos, il est probable que je ne vais pas m'en sortir aussi facilement et ne serai peut-être pas en mesure d'acheter ce superbe gilet que j'ai vu à Shibuya hier.**__ : _The Wani gang ? Never heard of it. But if what they say is true about it, it is likely that I won't get out of this as easily and may not be able to purchase this beautiful vest that I saw yesterday in Shibuya.

- **Imbécile !** : Fool !

- _**Qu'est-ce qu'Irina et Daichi étaient en train de dire à propos d'un...agneau et de crocodiles ? Si je me souviens bien, 'Wani' signifie 'Crocodile' en français, ce qui nomme tous les yakuzas membres de ce gang. Et l'agneau, ce serait... **_: What were Irina and Daichi saying about a lamb... and crocodiles ? If I remember correctly, 'Wani' means 'Crocodile' in French, which appoints all members of this yakuza gang. And the lamb would be...

- _**parce que j'en suis la cible, bordel de Dieu **_**! **: Because I'm the target for God's sake !

-_**Sont-elles des flics ? Du FBI ? Non...pas elle, pas Daichi Matsumoto, elle est trop...étrange. Pourquoi suis-je effrayée en sa présence ?**_: Are they cops ? From FBI ? No...not her, not Daichi Matsumoto, she's too...strange. Why am I scared in her presence ?


	2. Chapter 2

**To alexma and Guest : thank you for your reviews, you both are my first ones. And thank you for following and favoriting, I hope to interest you enough to continue reading. Here's the next chapter.**

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**The Good Idiotic Girl & The Mastermind Criminal**

**II – Of Lies & Betrayals**

* * *

The rest of the trip had passed in complete silence in which Marie had tried to remain calm, to apease her mind from the fright Daichi had given her but nothing had worked : she had been on edge since this last conversation with the two adults, her little act of rebellious girl had just granted her to be mortified and scared shitless of the Japanese woman. Most of the time, she avoided cold-natured people like the plague but there was something off with Daichi, something so strong and yet creeping the heck out of her that she couldn't decipher. Marie didn't like it one bit, but Daichi just appeared not to care about it.

They had reached Kyoto four hours later into the evening and the three women were greeted by another mysterious man who had only spared the youngster a glance before urging her to get into their car. Although she would have _loved_ to scream her displeasure with the whole situation here, the life-threatening warning Daichi had told always managed to eat her determination like termites and the French student just sat up like a good girl, frightened and silent under the cold glare she sent in her way. And if that wasn't enough, Marie had thought she had seen a flicker of gold in the brown eyes that now haunted her mind before it disappeared.

With no smartphone to contact and inform her parents and her friends, her plans to tell them about the incredible mess she had stepped in had failed. Daichi must have probably destroyed the device before throwing it into a fire, ruining her chances to take some pictures. Marie stared with sullen eyes at the vase on the low table, fumbling with her handbag. The cheerful student from today in Shinjuku had long disappeared, replaced by the scared girl who didn't know anything about the situation concerning her ; Daichi and Irina had dropped her into this living-room of their hideout in a neighbourhood of Kyoto and went into the kitchen with the mysterious man, Marie could hear their voices talking, sometimes snapping harshly. The cold and firm tone of Daichi chilled her to the bone, freezing her in place, haunting and frightening.

''Mister Alexander, you're starting to irritate me,'' she was saying. ''The girl we wanted to save from the Wani is _here_, in this living-room if you still have forgotten – which wouldn't surprise me at all, regarding your legendary failing memory. She is waiting for us to explain ourselves.'' A pause. ''What is your point exactly ?''

Said Alexander groaned in annoyance. ''And exactly _how_, with your burning coldness that makes everyone pee in his pants, do you want us to tell her ? It's not some random reason about building a whorehouse with hundreds of kidnapped young girls, it's a more complicated and certainly the most craziest matter I've ever dealt in my whole life. Just try to imagine for two minutes how her life would be wrecked in a matter of minutes after this revelation, she would be completly hysterical !''

In the living-room, Marie furrowed her brows in confusion. What were they talking about ? Daichi snorted loudly.

''How ironic. Coming from you, I'm quite at a loss. Weren't you the one to tell the others that having to protect – let me have the delicious pleasure to quote your words – 'some random girl who doesn't even have the brains to be accompanied by someone in charge in a city where she doesn't even know if she will be safe.' Pretty contradictory, if you want my opinion. _Yes_, mister Alexander, I know about this and this will be compromising for all of us.''

There was a gasp from Irina. ''What do you mean by that ?'' the blond woman asked. ''I don't understand...''

''I haven't known mister Alexander like you did, but if you don't learn how to keep your eyes open to watch _ahead_ and _behind_ and _under a mask_, you'll miss many things, miss Irina. Your friend is right about one thing – this is a matter where all logic can be forgotten and the girl is the main problem we'll have to protect. Any treachery will be severely punished. In my own way, if worse. The girl is our top priority and we have to be vigilant now : the Wani have missed their target today, they will try something else the next days to come if we don't act soon.''

There was a silence for several seconds, before Daichi continued.

''Also, I believe it's good to remind you something : someone as trustful as you can be easily blinded and that could be dangerous. Trust is something you should not give so easily and if you were all so trustful like your boss, you would all have failed to retrieve Marie Timothée before the Wani. You would have died.''

There were footsteps coming towards the door.

''And I would have laughed on your graves.''

The words, harsh and cruel, made Marie shiver and widen her eyes in shock. Coming from a woman like Daichi Matsumoto, it sounded as if she meant it and would have done it. This was more disturbing than everyone would thought and once again, the French student believed there was something off and absolutely not right about that person.

The door of the kitchen opened and Daichi, splendid and looking colder than usual, got out. Her strides were swift and almost silent if no one was paying attention the soft sounds of the leather of her high boots. When she could feel her gaze on her, Marie counted ten seconds in her head before taking a breath and rising her head towards her interlocutor. Daichi had abandoned her Fedora hat and let her pitch black hair fall freely on her shoulders, making her look like another person Marie couldn't really describe : there was that strange and frightening aura surrounding the Japanese woman – Marie shivered unintentionally – that rendered her silent and feel like the most bashful person on the earth. Daichi was as imperial as dark. _Yes_, that was the word. _Dark_. And strange. She looked both imperial and dark at the same time, which didn't match.

Daichi only blinked once.

''You and I want the same thing,'' she hissed. ''Answers. I hope you are ready to hear my questions and answers, because I won't be cautious and soft and if the idea of improvising a blackout ever crosses your mind in the next minutes, don't faint on me. I suppose I don't have to explain further what I would do if you faint, am I right ?''

Marie shook her head vigorously. Daichi ignored the death glare Alexander sent her and kept her burning eyes on the French student.

''Good. Now, let's start from the beginning. Where did you get the necklace around your neck and the strange tattoo on your neck ?''

* * *

There were very little things able to surprise Daichi Matsumoto on this earth, starting with the impossible idea that this little girl might be related to the accident which the Japanese was being the victim.

_She is nothing but a frightened little mouse happening to be the cause of my accident_, she thought with a harsh scowl. If she hadn't seen it by herself, Daichi would have missed the sole chance to discover what happened to her ; the tattoo on Marie Timothée's neck was quite hard to see, both small and well-hidden, but never underestimate a ninja's sharp eyes. The inscriptions of the tattoo musn't have meant something particular to the French student, if no more particular than getting a tattoo written in an ancient language would be seen as 'cool' but to Daichi Matsumoto, it was more than a mere tattoo gotten by an innocent urge to be branded. Moving her eyes to the necklace Marie was suddenly clutching with a confused stare, Daichi fought her urge to snatch it from her grasp.

''M-my necklace ?'' she stammered. ''A-and my tattoo ? But why ?''

''We think – sorry, _Daichi_ thinks – there is a link existing between you and those sons of bitches,'' Alexander stepped in, deliberately taking the reins of this conversation and not caring about Daichi's cold glare drilling on his back. ''Usually, the Wani kidnap girls of your age to build a whorehouse in their hidden quarters and they never set them free even if they are tired of them.'' Daichi wanted to snort loudly. He was just trying not to freak her out, only to fail. ''But your case is completely different and following our informations about those gangsters, they are after you for something you have in your possession.''

Marie shook her head in disbelief.

''This is... there's no logic in this ! How could you _think_ that a link could exist between me and those...those gangsters ?! You're being all crazy !'' At this point, Marie was almost shrieking. She shot up of her seat, still clutching her necklace tightly.

''B-besides,'' she continued. ''My family had no such problems with bad people, we've been living in peace for fifteen years and we-''

The girl suddenly stopped, clamped her mouth shut and looked down, as if feeling horrified of something they couldn't get it. Brown eyes steeled and drilled on her, freezing her body in place, while her fingers ached for grasping and pressing it until something bad happen – like death by strangulation. Irina and Alexander glanced at each other. _The girl is lying. Something happened years ago and she knows it. _Marie sat back down, not trusting her legs which had begun to shake violently. It would seem that denying was out of order, so Irina stepped in too.

''Marie ?'' she called softly. ''Marie, please, calm yourself. Judging by your reaction, either you remember something or can't lie properly...''

''They came once...'' It was as if she was remembering something absolutely horrible. So horrible that Daichi couldn't hold her tongue.

''Who ? Where ?'' she urged. ''Are you talking about the Wani ?''

Swallowing a painful lump, Marie nodded. ''They...it was fifteen years ago, when my parents brought me to the United States for the first time. We went to Boston to visit family. That's where it all began.''

* * *

_Four-years-old Marie Timothée had been wondering how big were the United States when her parents had told that they would be going soon. Was it bigger than Russia or even Asia ? She was ecstatic and could never hold her screams of happiness whenever America was brought out. ''Est-ce qu'il y a des monuments ennuyeux là-bas ? Qu'est-ce qu'ils mangent, eux ? Ils parlent français, les z'Américains, maman ?'' It never ended and her curiosity knew no limits._

_You see, children of her age were always asking questions and never tired of wondering about everything. Marie Timothée was just like them, ever curious over any thing that seemed so new to her. Travelling to another country where another different and somewhat smooth language both excited and frightened her, but her parents were positive : this will be a nice journey._

* * *

_''C'est Boston, maman ? On y est ? C'est super beau !'' Marie squealed in delight, making her parents chuckle at her antics._

_''Oui, chérie !'' her mother, Sarah Timothée, laughed. She smiled warmly at her daughter. ''Cela nous a pris du temps comme nous te l'avons déjà dit, mais nous y sommes arrivés. Regarde, Tata Laure et Tonton George sont déjà là ! On va leur dire-''_

_But the little girl had already flown towards two walking people, a man with brown hair and glasses, a big cheerful smile on his face and glinting green eyes that flashed with mischief. Uncle George looked slightly different from the picture her parents had shown her two weeks ago – he seemed older with strays of grey in his hair but even with those little changes, he still looked the same to Marie, who threw herself in his arms. Besides him was his wife, Laure, who hugged her brother in her arms. Her blue eyes shone with mirth and the woman didn't wait to talk excitedly about many things, asking if they wouldn't want to stay definitely in the United States since they had become residents last year because of George's relations in the government. Family reunions were just like this ; talking and talking, forgetting weariness and enjoying a nice view of Boston in the car. And Marie who just couldn't stop asking too many questions. Curious child._

_All of this was just a foretaste of what will happen in a few days after their arrival, because they hadn't been understated : with a loud child who couldn't stop squealing like a duck, it was nearly impossible for parents to appear normal and discretion wasn't really in order when Marie Timothée wanted nothing but exploring Boston and learning English. If Uncle George didn't have to work on Saturday, she could monopolize him all day and make him drive her to the most beautiful places in the city, she had decided._

_Strangely, fate could be a real bitch when everything looked perfect. Whether it was karma or not, they wouldn't know. A day when Laure and Sarah, our hyperactive child's mother, went to the supermarket to buy groceries and do some shopping, a shop caught little Marie's eyes and, asking her mother and aunt to accompany her inside – mainly because she didn't speak English and certainly would stare at the seller with wide eyes stating her incomprehension. But she so wanted to come in._

_It wasn't like all the stores she saw today, this one was completely different both from the outside and the inside ; the room was large and round, almost free of space. There was a dim light above them all, allowing them to see a sort of strange-looking decoration : it wasn't made of skeletons or other those Gothic goods all somber madmen overly fascinated by death liked to wear and buy, but the complete opposite. The colours were bright and almost made the room shine with power and the lightness of the sun. It gave the shop an unnatural and mystical decoration. Of course, Marie was simply too young to sense it, but surely her mother and her aunt were._

_''Ce magasin est...étrange. Je crois que c'est la première fois que je le vois ici,'' Laure said to her sister-in-law, observing the rather strange objects displayed on shelves. They all seemed rather rare and...old. There were many Antique stores in town but not this well kept and so attractive. Laure wasn't going to deny it, she was attracted to that shop._

_So was Marie. ''Waouh...'' The girl's eyes were literally shining with awe and her mouth was hanging open._

_''On dirait un magasin d'antiquités. Et il est décidément très bien tenu, comme s'il était nettoyé dix fois par jour !'' Sarah Timothée exclaimed, obviously pleased with the purity of the shop. ''Et regardez-moi toutes ces breloques ! On pourrait trouver quelque chose de bien, ici.''_

_Laure looked at Sarah, not quite convinced._

_''Je...où est le vendeur ?'' Laure asked suddenly, watching Marie observe the objects displayed on the lower shelves._

_Marie wasn't listening, for her eyes had caught a faint glow under other golden bracelets. Slowly, she removed them until discovering a nice-looking necklace made of silver. It was shining brightly under the dim light and there was a small strange-shaped object : it looked like a bright red pearl with strays of orange over it, covered in sort of solid glass container. _

_The pearl itself was strange. It seemed to call Marie. She was drawned to it._

* * *

''Are you saying that you _bought_ this necklace ?'' Daichi's voice was tinged with mistrust and her eyes were narrowed. ''In a shop ? Nobody seeming strange to you did not just give it, as all idiotic stories begin with someone – usually a girl – given an odd object by a madman and shortly after, everything starts to shatter dramatically ?''

''I'm telling the truth !'' Marie protested, indignant.

Daichi raised an eyebrow. ''I did not call you a liar, I just found it strange. Keep telling, please.''

The French girl closed her eyes, remembering.

* * *

_''Do you want to know the story of what you are holding, young child ?''_

_Marie had been so entranced in her reverie that she had not heard someone coming close to her and she turned her head to see a woman kneeling down besides her little form. And what a pretty woman she was ! She had midnight blue hair braided on her head, magnificent green eyes that looked so translucid when Marie stared deeply into them. She had a gentle look and a kind smile gracing her full lips. The dress she was wearing made her look like...unreal, supernatural. No, she was not pretty. She was beautiful, so beautiful that Marie felt instantly ashamed that she found this woman more beautiful than her own mother who was everything to her._

_Having not enough experience in English, Marie turned towards her mother and her aunt, who were stunned at watching the unknown woman. Upon realizing that the little was expecting a translation – and also a translator –, Laure awakened and blinked._

_''Y-yes, of course !'' she responded in English. ''Because we are curious as well, please tell us.''_

_The smile grew a little wider._

_''There is an old legend about this necklace I was told when I was but a young child just like you,'' she started, as if reciting a tale. ''The legend speaks about a princess of a foreign and supernatural empire who desired nothing but a world ruled by peace and equality. Her imperial family always disagreed with her and planned to display their power over a whole world they had explored through many centuries, having seen its forces and weaknesses and the advantages they could get if they take over this world, world which was as theirs as the other inhabitants._

_''Many saw an opportunity to finally rise from the lower parts of the main city and joined the imperial army to help the family in their growth, others like the dear and kind princess saw the malicious lies of the Emperor when he said he wanted to save people from their misery. So, in order to stop her father in his folly, she stole what constituted the power of the empire, sacrificing her position as a princess and heiress to put an end to the madness her father was creating and spreading.''_

_The woman looked at the necklace with a smile. _

_''The Vi Sacrae. It was said that it hold a great power, so great that mere mortals could not control it, for they were not themselves gifted with powers and immortality. But the members of the imperial family were, in fact. They were the only ones capable to bear and control such energy and the princess was very well aware of that. So she fled with the Vi Sacrae, taking the mad hopes of her beloved family and their blame with her, thus avoiding a possible destruction of their world. _

_''I do not know if this is true, but other scripts of the legend said that she imprisoned the Vi Sacrae in one pearl, no bigger than a rock, and hid it somewhere.''_

_Taking in the baffled expressions of the two women and the little girl's awestruck one, she chuckled warmly._

_''If this necklace is indeed the Pearl of Vi Sacrae then take good and precious care of it, child,'' she said kindly to Marie. ''It was a kingly gift, which must be given to beautiful princesses. Just like you.'' And with that being said, she took hold of the necklace and carefully put it in Marie's small hand, closed it softly around the object, surprisingly warm at the contact. ''Just like you,'' she repeated once more._

* * *

_The three days following the strange encounter were calm and peaceful. Marie took a great care of her new gift, treasuring it as if it was her own life. She became really protective when it came about it, never leaving it in her room while she wasn't in there and always wearing it when she showered, scrubbing it with softness. There was always a smile on her face whenever she looked at it. It was intriguing to the adults but, eventually, they shrugged it off. The necklace busied her, even if nobody believed the tale of the woman, it had been incredible to listen to._

_On the two following days, something really strange and serious happened. They hadn't paid real attention but to young Marie, it was like feeling eyes on herself every time outside, when she and her family were out for dinner or visiting sites. For someone still so young, she was sharp : this feeling of uneasiness taking over her mind and spreading within her stomach was starting to worry her. And tell her parents and uncle and aunt she did, but each reassured Marie in their way, saying she was being silly._

_Of course, a lie was better than confirming someone's worry, especially if they knew about it and the target was a little girl._

* * *

Daichi exhaled softly. ''So that's how it began, Timothée. You were given a strange necklace by an unknown woman – and you didn't have the brain to ask her name, am I correct ? - and almost immediately after, things started to go downhill. _Cliché_, if you want my opinion.''

''I-if you say so... though my parents told me I was just hallucinating, I could see that something was wrong,'' Marie said bitterly. ''Even though they tried to reassure me, I can remember their fearful eyes. They were afraid of something or someone...''

* * *

_Little Marie tried to hide behind her mother's legs, but she knew their eyes were watching. Mean, really mean eyes belonging to some men with strange-looking drawings on their forearms (at her age, tattoos really weren't a topic her parents would like to talk about) who were looking at her with so much malice and intensity that she had to look away. They were seemingly arguing with her parents and though Uncle George and Aunt Laure were trying to calm things down, Marie could understand that something was wrong, for the stranger men's eyes sometimes shifted towards her and pointed her little form with insistance. Their words were harsh, spat, and she couldn't understand a thing ; this wasn't English or French, so what was this language they were talking ?_

_Who were they ?She kind of wanted to ask out loud her question but her shy nature got the best of her and reduced the courage she had gathered so far. She just remained hidden behind her mother's legs, each time trying to peep at the weird men, each time being pulled back behind her mother. Never understimate a mother's sense of protectiveness, for she would do anything to protect her family. This was what she was doing at the moment, shielding Marie from the bad guys with her own body. _

_Agitation began to rise between Marie's father and the apparent leader of the group of strangers as Matthieu Timothée delivered a punch at the first stranger before him._

_''Matthieu, non !'' Sarah cried, eyes wide in horror._

_Bewilderment could be seen on the yakuza's face as he stumbled against his comrades who steadied him shortly after. Then, bewilderment became rage as the yakuza slowly looked up and snarled._

_Marie didn't see much tonight, for something or someone made her black out completely. The last thing she remembered was a voice screaming something incoherent._

* * *

Everyone sat quiet for some time, each lost in thoughts and trying to understand. In Marie's memories, there were many things about everything ; she had been able to describe the woman who gave her this necklace but apparently, if her words were true, the antique shop in which she had come in suddenly disappeared into thin air as if it had never existed in the first place when they had come back to have more details about the story. Marie Timothée's memories were a lot to digest, time was needed to find potential links relating the girl to the necklace and the role the _yakuza__s_ held in this situation.

Daichi's reflexion was more complex : there was a high possibility that those _yakuzas_ somehow knew about the legend of the Pearl of Vi Sacrae. How, she didn't know and really would like to, for the girl sitting on this couch was in great danger. Those men she encountered years ago were strange and seemingly had gathered enough material about the necklace she was wearing around her neck – much worse, they must have had her followed each year of her life, near her house and keeping an eye on their target day and night. Following her growth, then it musn't have been difficult to collect identikits over the years. They had never disappeared from her life, they just had remained hidden in the shadows, waiting for the opportunity to kidnap her.

Waiting to get their hands on the so-called Pearl of Vi Sacrae she has been wearing since her childhood.

But questions remained unanswered as Daichi stumbled upon new problems : why had they waited all those years when they could have kidnapped her long ago ? This didn't make any sense at all and all this mystery hung around this necklace. _This necklace_. Her eyes narrowed slightly before she closed them. She had to examine the big red pearl around it but first, there were things she had to understand. Like this tattoo on her neck.

''And the tattoo ?'' she asked. ''What does it mean ? Is it a symbol you fancied ?''

The girl looked up, rather surprised. ''My tattoo ? It's an inscription and a symbol I drew myself that I asked to be tattooed. Though I could have chosen a better place than the side of my neck...'' There was a slight pause when Marie seemed to hesitate before talking again. ''The symbol represents two mythical creatures I admired since my childhood. The dragon, for its incredible strenght and its fierceness, and the Phoenix, legendary creature which never dies for its eternity and its symbolization. I did this tattoo over three years ago and...well, at first my parents didn't like it. I thought it was because a tattoo could mean a symbol of rebellion, but it had revealed to be something else I didn't expect.''

''Like what ?'' Alexander asked, intrigued.

Her hand closed around the big pearl and a slight frown crossed her face before the bizarre expression melted into a confused one. ''Four years after I was given the necklace by this strange woman, my parents began to act stranger than before. My mother, who was never the type to do research about myths and legends, gathered countless papers about something I was strictly forbidden to read and locked them in my father's study. It was weird.''

''Did you ask them what they were working on ?'' Daichi was beginning to think that Mr and Mrs Timothée were hiding something much more dangerous than their own daughter. This was starting to get more mysterious than it already was.

''Of course. And I think they weren't being honest with me...''

Daichi smirked malevolently.

''Why am I not suprised ? They had already lied and must still be lying until today. Why don't you ask them the truth about your life and the lies you've been buying for all these years ?'' At this, she tossed Marie her smartphone, who threw her an alarmed look. ''Oh, don't give that look, surely you wanted to call them and tell what happened earlier. What's stopping you now ?''

''B-but...what am I supposed to tell them ?'' Marie, at this point, was beginning to panic. ''What if they ask me to come back ? I-I can't...the _yakuzas_...''

''Marie. Marie, listen.'' Irina, the figure of softness in this room, had sat besides her and put conforting hands on each of her shoulders. ''It's obvious that they will want you back in France but from what you just told us, there's no way you can't leave Japan. You're right, you just _can't_. The yakuzas will hunt you down and kill you before you get into a plane. But calling them and explaining the situation might calm them a bit before you demand explanations about their knowledge of the Pearl of Vi Sacrae.''

''Do you truly think that necklace I'm wearing is actually the real thing ?''

Three pairs of eyes turned towards Daichi Matsumoto, whose beautiful face was exposing a dark smirk. Her brown eyes held that golden glow Marie thought she had seen earlier and the French student shuddered, eyes widening.

_Call them_, the look in her eyes was silently saying._ Call them and give me their answers._

Knowing she had no choice, Marie bit her lip and dialed her mother's number (She nearly broke down in tears upon seeing the numerous missed calls of her parents and friends but still managed to look strong on the outside.), waiting for the fiery questioning and the heart beating wildly.

There was one tone.

Then a voice shrilled, making everyone cringe.

''_**Marie ?! Marie Louise Timothée, **__**tu as réussi à flanquer la pire frayeur à tes parents pour le reste de leur vie et nous espérons que tu as une excellente explication à-**_''

''_Maman _!'' Marie shouted too. ''Maman, je vais bien ! Je suis désolée de ne pas avoir donné de nouvelles, je...''

How could she do this ? There was so much to tell.

Sarah Timothée, on the other hand, was not so lenient and her words were harsh. ''_M__arie__, pourquoi n'as-tu pas répondu à tous nos appels ? Tes amis aussi t'ont appelée ! Nous étions tous si inquiets, nous pensions que tu avais été enlevée par ces étrangers d'il y a quinze ans et-_''

Her voice died out so suddenly that Marie was startled. ''Maman... ?'' She glanced worryingly at Alexander, Irina and Daichi. The latter was viciously staring at her, her head tilted on the side. That made her heart quicker, and painfully. ''Maman, qu'est-ce qu'il y a ? P-pourquoi tu t'es arrêtée de parler ?''

Everyone, even this good idiotic girl, could sense a problem when there was one ; anger was sometimes good in a sense when it came to revealing more than intended. Fifteen years ago, there were those strangers that scared the hell out of Marie when she was little, and now her mother just thought that she had been captured by them.

Something was really missing here, and Marie had no idea.

As her mother wasn't still responding, she resumed. ''_Maman_ ? De quoi parles-tu ? Ces étrangers d'il y a quinze ans ? Qui sont-ils ?''

''_Je...ce n'est rien, ma chérie. Rien du tout._''

Her voice was shaking, Marie noted. Other lies. That fueled her curiosity and she turned on the loudspeaker so that Alexander, Irina and Daichi could hear. She didn't have the slightest idea of what she was doing right now, but she wanted one thing right now. Answers. Breathing deeply, she put the phone on the table and braced herself.

''Mom...I-I think it's time for you to cut the crap and start talking,'' Marie said firmly, switching to English so her saviors could understand their words. ''I'm not well, mom. There's something we need to talk about.''

The noise her mother made was one out of confusion and worry.

''_Pourquoi parles-tu en anglais ? Marie, que se passe-t-il ? Tu as des ennuis ?_''

''Oui, _maman _!'' There was a stunned silence from her mother, certainly taken aback by her outburst. Marie somewhat felt a little guiltly for snapping but there was no stopping at this. Not right now. ''Mom, please. I-I almost got killed and if there hadn't been someone to save me from those sharks, I wouldn't be talking to you right now. So if you can cut the crap and start talking, it would be...good.''

Again, there was this silence. Mrs Timothée seemed to have lost her tongue, or she was just stunned about how her dear daughter had turned the tables on her side. For her part, Marie was slowly getting tired of this. This hesitation, this silence – those lies !

This had to stop. No more lies. No more lies. No more...

''Mrs Timothey, I believe your daughter has asked you a question, it would be nice and polite to answer her, am I correct ?'' Daichi's cold and haunting voice slashed through the heavy silence like a knife, startling both Marie and her mother.

''_W-who is i__t__ ? Where is my daughter ? Marie ? Marie !_'' Sarah Timothée's voice was panicking.

''Your daughter is well. At the time being. But I do believe that she needs answers so, why don't you talk about a past full of lies you and your husband had tried to bury to your precious Marie ? The people who were after her are quite decided to kill her and get the necklace she has around her neck.''

''_What ? Th-the Pearl of Vi Sacrae ? Kill my daughter ? No, no..._''

Daichi slowly smirked in dark triumph. Alexander and Irina exchanged a surprised glance, confused and feeling lost. Marie's hands began to shake lightly as Daichi conversed with her mother.

''Ah. So there's no mistaking, your daughter is indeed the keeper of this Pearl. So the legend isn't just a legend after all and, ironically, you and your husband knew about it and decided to keep your daughter ignorant from the dark secret. How convenient it must have been for both of you two !''

''_Don't ! Don't you dare saying things like this !_'' Marie's mother seemed furious. ''_We couldn't afford to become the guardians of that Pearl because this would compromise our mission and identity !_'' There was a very brief pause during which Mrs Timothée was breathing harshly. ''_I...Marie..._''

''Who are you ?'' Marie sounded like a child who has been slapped on the face. ''Who are you ?'' she repeated, trying not to break down.

''_Marie..._''

''No ! Answer me ! Who are you ?''

Sarah Timothée whimpered lowly, but it was still loud enough for Daichi to continue her taunting.

''That's how it was, Marie ? A life built on heavy lies you bought and that would eventually get you killed. Mrs Timothey, I think you don't have much choice now. Either you finally talk, or there will be more corpses to take care about just as you and your husband had done with so much talent.''

''_I won't get my daughter involved into this!_''

''But you already had, Mrs Timothey. She was involved the same day you decided to lie to her about the Pearl of Vi Sacrae. I'll bet your daughter's life that there is more in this mystery but what I don't understand is the part she's playing in it. Why had they waited all these years to get their plan in action when they could have just kidnapped her under your nose ? This doesn't make any sense...unless there is more to tell. Well, do _you_ happen to know, Mrs Timothey ?'' Daichi crossed her long legs and stared hard at the phone.

For some crucial seconds, there was another painful silence. Then, they heard a resigned sigh.

''_I...Marie...I never intended for you to discover this like this, believe me or not. Never. The truth is much, much more complicated and...ugly. __For starters, the necklace you're wearing isn't a mere necklace. It is the real Pearl of Vi Sacrae. __The legend is true._''

Astonishing. Marie gaped, doing the perfect imitation of a pufferfish, at the phone before her. The idea of the red ball she has been clutching in her hand for an hour being the actual Pearl of Vi Sacrae was so ludicrous, so ludicrous that her mind stopped abruptly. It wasn't the fact that she had been carrying the cause of her trouble for most of her life that horrified her, it was more the fact that her mother was the one to talk about it as if it was like revealing the secrets the French government hid behind their walls.

''How can you be so sure about this ?'' Daichi's voice slashed through the air once again.

''_George, Laure, Matthieu and I. We...we are not what everyone thought we are, this was a cover to conceal our real identity and purpose. Marie, my true name isn't Sarah Timothée as you've always been taught, this is another lie we were forced to tell. In fact, my code name is 466 – Sphinx and I'm part of an organisation named 'Twilight Dragon'. _''

That seemed to wake Alexander and Irina up from their lethargic state. ''Wait, did you say 'Twilight Dragon' ?'' Alexander's tone was incredulous. ''But I thought this organisation has been disbanded by ours. 'Twilight Dragon' and 'The White Rose' have fought for years before all the members of your organisation got executed or scattered sixteen years ago. This can't be !''

''Clearly, your superiors lied to you too and kept the secret safe.'' Daichi snorted in disdain.

Another inspiration breathed from Sarah Timothée/466 – Sphinx.

''_As we lied to Marie, you've been betrayed and deceived. __The organisation has never really been destroyed.__ 'Twilight Dragon' is an organisation that served utopic ideals meant to __change the world into something much more liveable for everyone. A world where everyone would learn to accept each other without conflicts ; social classes, differences of colour skins, everything. All members are chosen upon specifical status : orphans, living in the streets or even potential killers. Your father's and mine's belong to that category. Anyway, our goal was something really important to our superior and since he was the one to take care of me after my parent's death, I agreed to take part of his project : __'Project Faerie'._

''_This project was indeed genious, but there was something missing and needed. Power. Not just an influence over someone that important like the U.S President, but a power __of an unknown and more powerful nature than a nuclear bomb. Our research were growing desperate. The more we tried to search through the U.S government's data files, the more our efforts __grew__ fruitless. __I, along with George, Matthieu, Laure and a few of our comrades, __was about to give up when a miracle happened._''

Daichi's eyes were half-lidded as she spoke. ''The Pearl...it had appeared somewhere on this planet, scrambling all electronic devices with the magical power within. I can't imagine how your superior must have been overjoyed to find it.''

''_It-it turned out to be more than __we could have imagine__d__ ! __The power radiating within its small form was just...extraordinary. __The Pearl had appeared somewhere in Nevada desert and we would have retrieved it in a matter of time if we hadn't...__rivals and troubles._''

* * *

_Thousands and loud gunshots could be heard from a good distance in Nevada desert as members of 'Twilight Dragon' scattered everywhere to avoid being hit or killed on the spot by military soldiers. Sarah Timothée, or rather known as Agent 466 – Sphinx, crawled quickly behind a rock and exhaled with difficulty. Damn, nobody had told them that the military soldiers from Area 51 got that much artillery ! Now, it was proving to be more problematic to get past these defenses and retrieve the UFO that had spiked her boss'interests without being killed._

_Agent 466 – Sphinx reached for her talkie-walkie and cried. ''Egypt ? Egypt, do you copy ?''_

_There was a powerful explosion near her location and she took cover, wincing at the deafening sound. Then she heard the voice of her lieutenant from the talkie-walkie._

_''Agent Sphinx, what are we supposed to do ?'' screamed the alarmed voice of S302 – Egypt. ''They're everywhere, if we don't do something in the next seconds we're dead !''_

_He was right, she knew he was right. Agent 466 – Sphinx needed to think of a plan to get inside Area 51 – but _how_ was the problem._

* * *

''Did you really manage to get past this wall of lethal bullets all by yourself or did you receive an 'unwelcome' aid from someone else ?'' Daichi demanded.

The woman on the phone swallowed loudly.

''_Well, as I said earlier, we weren't the only ones after the Pearl..._''

* * *

_It happened so silently and so fast that no one had seen them move in the shadows. But they could still listen as one by one, the gunshots died out and the horrible sound of broken bones filling the ruined field suggested that the military soldiers were having their necks snapped. By who, Agent 466 – Sphinx could not really guess. She only could watch in mute horror as forms dressed in military uniforms slumped lifelessly on the ground, their weapons clicking on the dirt. _

_Whoever did that had to be swift on his feet and as silent as a shadow. And there weren't men or women capable of such things in 'Twilight Dragon', so that just left one potential hypothesis..._

_''Members of Ramses II Unit, get in !'' Panic and dread surged through Agent 466 – Sphinx's veins like electricity as she dashed forward, her weapon in hands and ready to kill. ''I repeat, get in and find the target before 'Black Monkey' !''_

_''Copy !''_

_Forget the massacre, forget logic and all meanings of discretion, there was now a race against another enemy and rival they had fought for years. If there was any reason explaining their presence in Area 51 at the same as Agent 466 – Sphinx and her team, it would and could only be this one : somehow, they knew about the strange object that had landed four days ago and wanted it too. Why Black Monkey wanted it too, was another mystery amplifying the one surrounding the target._

_She sprang ahead, followed by her unit, inside the big facility that was Area 51. Quickly locating the target being locked up in one the most secured safe of facility on the lowest floor underground, the woman moved as silently as possible through the shadows in order to avoid being shot at._

_She had to get the object before them. She had to..._

* * *

''Wait, _who_ or _what_ is 'Black Monkey' ?'' Daichi interrupted, slightly leaning forward. Her brows were furrowed in confusion as she waited an answer and a good explanation.

But this time, Mrs Timothée seemed more than hesitant as she fell silent. Daichi had to strain her ears more than usual to perceive what the other three couldn't and her eyes narrowed slightly when very little sounds reached her ears.

The woman was sobbing.

_Remorse_ ? Daichi thought without buying it. She wanted to scoff and smirk cheekily at this petty act.

''_I-I can't !_'' Mrs Timothée whispered hurriedly, suddenly sounding panicky. ''_Don't question me anymore, I already said too much ! I can't say anything more to-_''

''Maman ?'' Marie called for the first time during this questioning, tears streaming down her redden cheeks and this look of betrayal in her eyes.

''No, don't even think about shutting up now !'' Daichi snarled angrily. ''Say it !''

The Japanese woman could feel herself growing frustrated and her trail of thoughts was wavering. Why was she panicking now ? _Who_ or _what_ was 'Black Monkey' ? Was there something this big she just couldn't talk about without risking her-

Daichi's eyes widened in realization. Of course. _Damn the rules of spies ! _Slamming her hands on the table and successfully making everyone else jump in alarm, she roared.

''_Stupid woman, don't_-''

A sudden and loud gunshot exploded and everyone, including Daichi even if she was expecting it, jumped once again on their feet. They didn't have the time to understand that a second and third gunshots echoed in the tense and deadly silence, and the familiar sound of something heavy like a body made contact with the floor. Everyone remained silent, as if absorbing what has just happened, save for Marie's desperate shouting and sobbing.

''Maman ? Maman, réponds-moi ! _Maman_ !''

''_I'm afraid Mom can no longer answer you in the state I rendered her, Marie._''

Again, there was another deadly silence in which Marie did nothing but stared dumbly at her phone, eyes wide in their sockets. She didn't see and couldn't even sense Daichi's death drilling glare as her mind had gone totally blank. It couldn't be...surely there was a mistake...

''_In our organisation, there are strict rules that everyone has to respect, even our boss. If you decide to give out the secrets of Twilight Dragon to someone, the 'Last Judgement' rule has to be applied – in other words, committing suicide or being killed by a fellow comrade. That goes for any special case, even if the comrades were paired up to appear as a happily married couple._''

Signs of anxiety attack began to appear within Marie as her breathing quickened. Daichi hastily gestured towards Irina, who took a slumped and crushed French student in her arms and dragged her rather awkwardly out of the room. Alexander, who was still shocked from the recent killing, leaned forward with Daichi as if to catch precious informations. The man, whom Daichi had already guessed the identity, resumed talking with the same indifferent, infuriating tone.

''_...I take it that Marie must have lost consciousness from the shock. This is understandable. Aside her, is there anyone else listening ?_''

No one could be and could talk this coldly and indifferently after having killed his long-time wife. So much detachement, so much...inhumanity.

Struggling to keep her growing killing intent, Daichi folded her arms and stared hard at the phone. ''I'm listening.''

''_Hm...I've heard that voice before, but this is unimportant. Just like the fact that I've killed my own wife. Let's talk about something much more important, shall we ?_'' There was a brief pause when Daichi and Alexander could hear a chair being pulled back on the ground, suggesting that the son of a bitch was sitting down as if they were going to have a pleasant conversation. This just added pure fuel to Daichi's killing intent. ''_You were talking about the Pearl of Vi Sacrae before I came in and disposed of Sarah, am I right ?_''

He didn't wait for an answer as he kept talking.

''_Well, let's be brief, for we only have ten minutes before we all get chased again._'' At that, Daichi narrowed her eyes in suspicion, but remained silent as she listened to Matthieu Timothée.''_Sarah is right, the Pearl of Vi Sacrae is an extremely powerful artefact that can exceed a nuclear bomb and for that, it had been classified as a danger to humanity and had been meant to be locked up forever by 'White Rose'. However, someone else had been quicker __and stole the Pearl under both the noses of 'Twilight Dragon' and 'The White Rose' that night. __The mission was a terrible failure._

''_Whoever stole it hadn't left any imprints to be analyzed. We thought the Pearl of Vi Sacrae to be lost for good...until it reappeared in the hands of Marie. You know a lot of the rest, but there are still dark passages that you don't know about __and if we are both lucky on our sides, we will meet and I'll reveal __ever__ything I discovered about the Pearl__. Nonetheless, there is still something that you should already know._''

The next words he said made her mind go blank for an instant, and Daichi only stared at the phone without talking.

So that was it. An intelligent game of minds in which she, the victim of the accident caused by the Pearl of Vi Sacrae, was supposed to confront an unknown enemy who was also connected to this artefact. Just like her, he wanted Marie for its powers. Just like her, he wanted to go back where it had begun and for that, he had sent his so-called '_yakuzas_' to retrieve the girl, whatever the consequences. Why he had been called here was a mystery, just like Daichi's case.

But then, it didn't make sense. Not yet. Why her ? Why Marie Timothée ? What part did she play in her accident ?

Matthieu Timothée shook her out of her thoughts.

''_Remember, there's not always logic in such events like these. But if the Pearl of Vi Sacrae called you and this guy from Arda to here, this has something to do with Marie. __This all began and will end with her._''

Daichi was about to talk when some noise caught her attention and she froze, looking up at the ceiling. She didn't need the nudge from Alexander to understand and silently drew a kodachi out of nowhere.

_They_ were here. _They_ were here for Marie.

* * *

The man hung up and looked at his phone for several seconds before looking down lazily. The bloody dead corpse of Sarah Timothée – whom he had known as Agent 466 – Sphinx for years – looked like an infuriating sight to behold. Three holes in her head, three bullets shot when only the first one managed to kill her. It wasn't that necessary. Those eyes he had sometimes grown to like and hate at the same time were staring at nothing in particular, holding a look of complete grief. Or sadness. He couldn't choose.

But he didn't care. She had decided to tell the truth, she had sealed her fate. That was it. There was no going back.

But again, there was Marie. Marie, young, innocent Marie who was now thrown into a royal mess in which she was the unintentional main cause. Matthieu Timothée could be saddened and worried sick about her foreshadowed fate if only he knew and felt the sense of fatherhood within his mind of steel.

If only she knew the whole truth about the mystery surrounding her.

He got up from his seat, cast a last, expressionless look at the woman lying lifeless on the bloody ground, and departed at last.

If the Mystery of the Pearl of Vi Sacrae was finally discovered, things were going to get ugly and damn difficult for Marie and her mysterious savior going by the name of Daichi Matsumoto. And until they reached Arda, they will need his help.


End file.
